Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-10-08
GENERAL MILES
On ibc Removal of tine San Carlos Apache Indians (" separate Reser-
 vatiOns.

On lie Removal of the San Carlos Apache Indians (" separate Reser-
 vations
 SANTA MONICA.
 September 2O.h, 1857. MR J. c. MAErN.
 Eli,or. Prescott, 4. I.
 DEAR SIR:-In your paper of Ieptem- Der 3l fast, 1 observed an article, which owing 10 tEs tcis-iGforIDgtiOn of the
 writer, oOntGIBeC q series Of inaccuracies, and Al;ough l am not m She habit of either coofEming or dispu,ing press publications, neverthless deem IL prop CT ID this IUsir ncs st least, iO correct this mis-stsiencnt,
 First.-With regard to the statement tina. ''On reaching tbIs department es- tabilshed field headquarters in the southern part of the ierTItCry,' that was done months before 1 took cODmaud of this department.
 SeoOnd.-Ihe order reservIng tract of government lacd for military pur-
 poses near AlGuQGerque ID September last. he'd uo connection whatever, as CT roueously stated, with any contemplated change of depsrimeuf h 'gdqnErters. Albuquerque being s "a lr1ad center, IL
 wus deemed likely nat ;he federal gov eTnmt nt might ID future consider II sd- visabie and economical tu establish a depot and possibly place troops st thst point, end the the muTc reservation of the land WAS siJply in accCrdapce with g general policy that the government
 mas pursued In fact. the gOye.u ment has very recently appropriated SlCJ.O0J, f1r military poet Gt Denver. Colorado, a point siuiRily sitlatef tO AlbuqGef- qne, with population of about seventy iEousand.
 ThiTi.-The tine spent a' Aibuqger- que wGs for reasons that wcUli seem loo manifest not Co b. understood, Al that tlmc ] was experimenting tle removal If the Warm Spring aud Chi-icahGs
 < AoBohGs from Arizona; md RbpEt the same time the Jc4ril,a Apaehss wore being remoyel from the vicinity O! For Stanton. New MeXicp, to the nOftE -iu par. of New Msuc1. l was pl asGn l. received by tEe people Of Albuquerqug, us vas also by .hs people of Prescott and yet personal mCtivec Of the kiut imputed tO me did not control my Ec- tious. So far Rs making ny permanent headquarters gt S-!her AlbuqueIq1e UE Prescott wGs concerned, had no cxpec- tatiJn oi Teuaining in thls spartment, for having accomplished what l wGs sent tO do in this department as'ually thought l would be returned to the Department of tne MissoGii. from which I vas SD burriediy detached. h. deed, I think you would be surprised If you knew how li:ile had 10 do WI.h the removal Of department headGusr srs from Prescott io Los Angles, and ;he real couse or motive which prompted that change. HO Eeysr. l fad Los An gele5 very Bgre, able stGtIOE and well adapted for headquarters by reascE Of Its accessibility, and rbilEOsd sCd te!e- graphic communication Diih all points ID the department. aud l have met agreeable friends here ihs sEme as Ht Prescott, Albuquerque and Tucson.
 EOurth.-Ihe premise that l had Gny feeling other than that of good will and R tesiTe for the general welfare of the people, regarding Prescott or any other section Of Arizona, has no foundation in fact. and the statement Is unTarrBnt. by act ot mine, and certainly contra dicted by the history of my endeavOrs for the best interests of the whole ter ritory which have always been of para mount consideration gIIh nee.
 Fifth.-In regard to the Indians on the San Carlos reservation, their maj hgement and placement, that IS a matter of such grave IapJftBDce to all the in- hRbi;ants of your (Ariz9ns) territory Es to transcend every individual interest Gnd desire. About twelve years age, it is stated, for reasons personal to ccr- tan interested psrties. large nun Der of Indians we're oOnsTeghteG on what Is known ss She San Carlos reservation. VIE the San Carlos, (al- ready there) White Mountains, Tohtos, Moi4ves Gad Yumas. Later the Chiri- cihuas were moved up from the sOHtb, and the Warm SpriGes were brought over New Mexico. Ii the object fl this procedure wss nOi to get these Iudiars off the land on which they had hved for ! generations m order tO give possession | Of it to white men, ana to mass large | numbers If different tribes Oa one res ervltion msiUly for the benefit Ot agents. contractors snd other interested | parties, then the statement Co tha; etfec' | boldly nsde and repeated. must have l been erroneous. IE k b fact, that my | predecessor, General Crook. protested | iB the strongest terms against the re- mOysl of those Indians ;C the San Car !Js reservation, yet regardless oi thh' snd sSElDst reAsOn= of humanity and | prudence, the I1dIans were deceived | Into UeIBY removed. by being told they | ~sEe going into n hehltbfui c-Hntr vi'h plenty Of good water uui gTHs-, aud t:nsliy wtre fuIced tc abandon tLe Cogn- Try Iu which they Ina! lived and Tnich they held ce-Tly. The San Cauas la dls1s had been lIvIrg along tPe San Carl"s Tiver which IS comparatively healthy.
 The White Mountains soon found he region uusnited 10 them, and declared hat thsy would rather de than rCnsIu there. They were { ld that unless they 1 ihe-e they would ge- no rs tons, aEd theY replied that tcey V. uld gO and support thems5!vss, They ven, hack to their DstIve county m tie White MountsiB=, and the struggle tnSse lndlaus have been making .OT , ears to Keep soul and body toSe,tur ot government sssis,s-cs, is deserving ot the highest com -neEdL- ton In feet when l was st Apache laet summer the tenor of the msn's Ep- peals Was: Give us farming tools aEt u;ensiis-piows. TGkes. anything wIih which EIih our hands we can make food for onr fnmilies. We do not ask for bread or mest-we will earn food ourselves if you will glve us tools" l myself saw Indian women go out aud cut grass with dull knlve=, wEers var they could find spct along the rsvines aud sides Of the mountains, aud then pack It on their backs eighteen or twen- y miles tn Apache and seil it to the gcvt rnment contractor for hay. Such ara the facts concerning ono band, who would do all that rather than stay and